Elder Brain

As an action, you cause your subject’s mind to wander, distracting it. Choose a creature within 5 meters. It has disadvantage on the next Perception or Insight check it makes before the end of its next turn.

As an action, you send a one-way telepathic message to a creature within 20 meters. The creature hears the message and can reply in a whisper that only you can hear. This spell has no effect on a creature with an Intelligence of −4 or less.

You can cast this spell through solid objects if you are familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier. Magical silence, 30 centimeters of stone, 2 centimeters of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 1 meter of wood blocks the spell. The spell doesn’t have to follow a straight line and can travel freely around corners or through openings.

At higher levels

When you reach 9th level, you can send the message to all creatures within 10 meters. When you reach 17th level, you can send the message to all creatures within 20 meters.

As an action, you unleash a psychic assault ona creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters. The creature must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 1d4 psychic damage and has disadvantage on the next attack it makes before the end of its next turn.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

At higher levels

This spell’s damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 9th level (2d4) and 17th level (3d4).

As a reaction, which you use when you are hit by an attack or missed by 4 or less or take psychic damage, you absorb some of the incoming energy. You have resistance to psychic damage until the start of your next turn, including against the triggering damage. If the creature who damaged you is within 10 meters, it must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 1d4 psychic damage and is staggered until the end of its next turn.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 3d4 for each additional mana expended.

As a reaction, which you use when you use an skill check using Intelligence to do one of the following:

• Recall knowledge
• Identify an alchemical concoction
• Identify a herb, poison, or potion
• Identify a concoction or spell
• Identify a magic or technological item
• Diagnose illness
• Understand the gist of a language
• Communicate in a language

You can recall natural memories and knowledge previously inaccessible to you. You can reroll the Intelligence check.

As an action, you assault and twist a creature’s mind, spawning delusions and provoking uncontrolled actions. Choose a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The target must succeed on a Will saving throw or it is confused until the end of its next turn.

Augment

• You can expend 1 additional mana so the duration changes to 1 minute/mana, concentration and the creature is confused for the duration. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

• You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, you mentally lash a creature that you can touch or see within 20 meters, assaulting its ego and debilitating its confidence. The creature must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d6 psychic damage and has disadvantage on skill checks for the duration.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Augment

• You can increase the damage by 4d6 for each additional mana expended. If this spell is augmented to target additional creatures, this damage is halved.

• You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, you haze the senses of a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Fortitude saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 2d8 psychic damage and can’t see anything beyond 2 meters for the duration.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Augment

• You can increase the damage by 3d8 for each additional mana expended.

• You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, you raise your hands to the sky as you rise vertically, up to 5 meters, and remain suspended there for the duration.

You can move only by pushing or pulling against a fixed object or surface within reach (such as a wall or a ceiling), which allows you to move as if you were climbing. Once on your turn, you can change your altitude by up to 5 meters in either direction.

If you are still aloft when the effect ends, you descend 10 meters per round for 1 minute until you lands, which you do safely. If you can’t land after 1 minute, you fall the remaining distance.

Augment

• You can target one additional willing creature or object within 10 meters for each additional mana expended. The creatures and objects must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them. The spell can levitate a Medium or smaller creature or objects that weighs up to 150 kilos. Once on your turn, you can change the altitude of a target within 10 meters by up to 5 meters in either direction. You can affect a creature of a larger size and an object that weighs 150 kilos more for each additional mana expended.

• You can expend 1 additional mana to target a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must succeed on a Fortitude save or it is levitated, up to 5 meters, and remains suspended there for the duration. The spell can levitate a Medium or smaller creature. Once on your turn, you can change the altitude of a target within 10 meters by up to 5 meters in either direction. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. You can affect a creature of a larger size for each additional mana expended.

• Fly. You can expend 1 additional mana and touch a willing creature so the creature gains a flying speed of 10 meters for the duration.

As you spend 1 hour to cast this spell, you meld a mindcrystal, a fragment of your personality brought into physical form and a semblance of life. A mindcrystal appears in an unoccupied space within 5 meters of you. A mindcrystal appears as a crystalline construct about the size of a human hand. Because it is an extension of its creator’s personality, a character’s mindcrystal is in some ways a part of them.

Your mindcrystal acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A mindcrystal can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal.

While your mindcrystal is within 20 meters of you:

• Your mindcrystal has resistance to all damage. Each time it takes damage, you take the same amount of damage.
• You can communicate with each other telepathically.
• As an action, you can see through your mindcrystal’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the mindcrystal has. While perceiving through your mindcrystal’s senses, you can also speak through your mindcrystal in your own voice, even if your mindcrystal is normally incapable of speech. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
• When you cast a spell with a range of touch, your mindcrystal can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your mindcrystal must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell is an attack, you use your own skill check for the roll.

As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your mindcrystal if it is within 5 meters of you. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 5 meters of you.

You can’t have more than one mindcrystal at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a mindcrystal, it has no effect.

When the mindcrystal drops to 0 health, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again. If it is slain by a creature, you gain advantage on your next attack made against the killer.

Augment

You can increase your mindcrystal’s health by 5 for each additional mana expended.

As a reaction, which you use when you make a skill check using Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution or you make a Fortitude or Reflex saving throw, you can focus your mind to overcome your body’s limitations. You make the roll with advantage. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur.

If the roll already has advantage or disadvantage, you cannot apply another instance of advantage or disadvantage and you must use this before the roll to cancel out any advantage or disadvantage.

As an action, you reach into the mind of a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d10 psychic damage and you know the target’s location for the duration, but only while the two of you are on the same plane of existence. While you have this knowledge, the target can’t become hidden from you, and if it’s invisible, it gains no benefit from that condition against you.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 3d10 for each additional mana expended.

As an action, you set a trap in your mind against mental intruders. A creature who targets you with a spell or effect that would sense your emotions, read your thoughts, charm you, or force you to make a Will saving throw must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d10 psychic damage and loses 1d6 mana if it has any mana.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

The spell ends if you dismiss it on your turn (no action required) or if you cast it again.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 3d10 for each additional mana expended.

As an action, you have resistance to psychic damage for the duration.

Augment

• You can target one additional willing creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

• You can expend 1 additional mana so you have advantage on Will saving throws.

• Mind Blank. You can expend 1 additional mana so the creature is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts and divination spells. The spell even foils miracle or wish spells and spells or effects of similar power used to affect the target’s mind or to gain information about the target.

• Immunity. You can expend 2 additional mana so the creature is immune to psychic damage.

As an action, you send a short message of twenty-five words or less to a creature with which you are familiar within 10 kilometers. If the creature is not within 10 kilometers the message is not received.

The creature hears the message in its mind, recognizes you as the sender if it knows you, and can answer in a like manner immediately.

Augment

• You can send an additional twenty-five words for each additional mana expended.

• You can expend 1 additional mana so you can send the message across any distance and even to other planes of existence, but if the target is on a different plane than you, there is a 5% chance that the message doesn’t arrive.

As an action, you can sense the presence of non-mindless creatures within 10 meters for the duration, which allows you to pinpoint where the creature is located.

The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 30 centimeters of stone, 2 centimeters of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 1 meter of wood or dirt.

As a reaction, which you use when you make a Will saving throw, you fortify your mind against intrusions. You make the roll with advantage. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur.

If the roll already has advantage or disadvantage, you cannot apply another instance of advantage or disadvantage and you must use this before the roll to cancel out any advantage or disadvantage.

Augment

You can expend 2 additional mana to trigger the spell when you or one of your allies within 2 meters of you makes a Will saving throw. Until the start of your next turn, you and all allies within 2 meters of you have advantage on Will saving throws.

As you spend 10 minutes to cast this spell, you enter a deep contemplation. You learn a language or become capable, or proficient if you are already capable, with a skill for the duration.

Augment

• You can expend 1 additional mana to become proficient if you aren’t already capable.

• You learn an additional language or become capable with an additional skill for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, a creature that you can touch or see within 20 meters must make a Will saving throw.

On a failed save you wrest control of a spell that the target is concentrating on. For the duration the creature does not need to concentrate on the spell as you are now concentrating on it (as part of the concentration of this spell). Once you wrest control of the spell from the target, you have several options:

• Allow the spell to function as normal.
• Decide how the spell fulfills its function each round.
• Retarget the spell on yourself or centered on a new point within 20 meters.
• End concentration on this spell, ending the co-opted spell.

As two actions, you can read the thoughts of certain creatures. When you cast the spell—and as two actions on each turn until the spell ends—you can focus your mind on a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters of you. If the creature has an Intelligence of −4 or lower or doesn’t speak any language, the creature is unaffected.

You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature—what is most on its mind in that moment. As two actions, you can either shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts or attempt to probe deeper into the same creature’s mind. If you probe deeper, the target must make a Will saving throw. If it fails, you gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that looms large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). If it succeeds, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and unless you shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts, the creature can use an action on its turn to repeat the saving throw; if it succeeds, the spell ends.

Questions verbally directed at the target creature naturally shape the course of its thoughts, so this spell is particularly effective as part of an interrogation. You can also use this spell to detect the presence of thinking creatures you can’t see. When you cast the spell or as two actions during the duration, you can search for thoughts within 5 meters of you. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 60 centimeters of stone, 5 centimeters of any metal other than lead, or a thin sheet of lead blocks you. You can’t detect a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or lower or one that doesn’t speak any language.

Once you detect the presence of a creature in this way, you can read its thoughts for the rest of the duration as described above, even if you can’t see it, but it must still be within 5 meters of you.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional mana to plant an idea or memory in the creature’s mind. The creature must remain within 5 meters of you and you must focus on it for 1 minute. After 1 minute the creature must make a Will saving throw or you plant the idea or memory in the creature’s mind as if it were an organic thought or real memory. You choose whether the idea or memory is trivial (such as “I had porridge for breakfast” or “Ale is the worst”) or personality-defining (“I failed to save my village from orc marauders and am therefore a coward” or “Magic is a scourge, so I renounce it”). The idea or memory lasts for 4 hours for each mana expended to cast this spell.

As two actions, the air ripples with the force of your mental attack, which blasts the minds of creatures. Each creature in a cone or line must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d8 psychic damage and is staggered until the end of its next turn.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Augment

• You can increase the damage by 1d8 for each additional mana expended.

• Stunning Blast. You can expend 1 additional mana and reduce the damage to 1d8 so a creature who fails the saving throw is stunned instead of staggered.

As two actions, you take control of an animal that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Will saving throw, which it does with advantage if you or your companions are fighting it.

On a failure, it you gain control for the duration.

The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Each time the target takes damage, it makes a new Will saving throw against the spell. If the saving throw succeeds, the spell ends.

While you have control, you have a telepathic link with it as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence. You can use this telepathic link to issue commands to the creature while you are conscious (no action required), which it does its best to obey. You can specify a simple and general course of action, such as “Attack that creature,” “Run over there,” or “Fetch that object.” If the creature completes the order and doesn’t receive further direction from you, it defends and preserves itself to the best of its ability.

You can use two actions to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn’t do anything that you don’t allow it to do. During this time, you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

Augment

• Humanoid. You can expend 1 additional mana to target a humanoid.

• Creature. You can expend 2 additional mana to target any creature.

As two actions, you modify the memory of a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters. The creature must make a Will saving throw, which it does with advantage if you or your companions are fighting it. If the creature is a construct or an undead or is immune to being charmed, the spell has no effect on it.

On a failure, it is charmed by you, is incapacitated, and is unaware of its surroundings for the duration.

If it takes any damage or is targeted by another spell, this spell ends and none of the target’s memories are modified.

While this charm lasts, you can affect the target’s memory of an event that it experienced within the last 24 hours and that lasted no more than 10 minutes. You can permanently eliminate all memory of the event, allow the target to recall the event with perfect clarity and exacting detail, change its memory of the details of the event, or create a memory of some other event.

You must speak to the target to describe how its memories are affected, and it must be able to understand your language for the modified memories to take root. Its mind fills in any gaps in the details of your description. If the spell ends before you have finished describing the modified memories, the creature’s memory isn’t altered. Otherwise, the modified memories take hold when the spell ends.

A modified memory doesn’t necessarily affect how a creature behaves, particularly if the memory contradicts the creature’s natural inclinations or beliefs. An illogical modified memory, such as implanting a memory of how much the creature enjoyed dousing itself in acid, is dismissed, perhaps as a bad dream. The GM might deem a modified memory too nonsensical to affect a creature in a significant manner.

A remove curse spell or restoration spell augmented to greater restoration cast on the target restores the creature’s true memory.

Augment

• You can expend 1 additional mana to alter the target’s memories of an event that took place up to 30 days ago.

• You can expend 2 additional mana to alter the target’s memories of an event that took place at any point in its past.

As two actions, you brutally crush the mental essence of a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters, debilitating its acumen. The creature must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 1d6 psychic damage and is stunned until the end of its next turn.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

If it has a head and is killed by this damage, its head explodes.

Augment

• You can increase the damage by 4d6 for each additional mana expended. If this spell is augmented to target additional creatures, this damage is halved.

• You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

• You can expend 2 additional mana so the spell deals no damage, but the duration changes to 1 minute/mana, concentration and the creature is stunned for the duration. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

• You can expend 1 additional mana so the creature is paralyzed instead of stunned.

As you spend 10 minutes to cast this spell, you can replace a concoction, maneuver, or spell you know with another of the same type from a theme you know. If the spell is a cantrip, you must choose another cantrip. If the replaced spell is in your spellbook it disappears from your spellbook.

Augment

You can target one additional willing creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As two actions, you choose a point within 20 meters and cause psychic energy to explode there. Each creature in a sphere centered on that point must make a Will saving throw. If the animal’s Intelligence is −4 or less, the spell has no effect on it.

On a failure, it takes 4d8 psychic damage and has disadvantage on skill checks as well as saving throws to maintain concentration until the end of its next turn.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Augment

• You can increase the damage by 1d8 for each additional mana expended.

• You can expend 1 additional mana to cast the spell as a a reaction, which you use when you are hit by an attack or missed by 4 or less. It is centered on you, but does not affect you or creatures you designate.

As two actions, you forge a telepathic link with a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters, psychically linking yourself with the creature for the duration. This spell has no effect on a creature with an Intelligence of −4 or less. An unwilling creature that succeeds on a Will saving throw is unaffected.

The targets can communicate telepathically through the bond whether or not they have a common language. The communication is possible over any distance, though it can’t extend to other planes of existence.

Augment

• You can target two additional creatures for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

• Bonded Senses. You can expend 1 additional mana to use two actions to see through a bonded creature’s eyes and hear what it hears, and continue to do so until you use an action to return to your normal senses. While perceiving through the creature’s senses, you gain the benefits of any special senses possessed by that creature, though you are blinded and deafened to your own surroundings.

• Empowered Bond. You can expend 2 additional mana to change the duration to 24 hours and you can target creatures with which you are familiar at an unlimited range. The creatures can be anywhere on the same plane of existence as you. The spell ends if you or the target are no longer on the same plane. In addition to words you can share images, sounds, and other sensory messages with one another through the link. Creatures with an Intelligence of at least −4 are able to understand the meaning of your words and take in the scope of any sensory messages you send to it.

As two actions, you are transported to a different plane of existence. You can specify a target destination in general terms, such as the City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire or the palace of Dispater on the second level of the Nine Hells, and you appear in or near that destination. If you are trying to reach the City of Brass, for example, you might arrive in its Street of Steel, before its Gate of Ashes, or looking at the city from across the Sea of Fire, at the GM’s discretion.

Alternatively, if you know the sigil sequence of a teleportation circle on another plane of existence, this spell can take you to that circle. If the teleportation circle is too small to hold all the creatures you transported, they appear in the closest unoccupied spaces next to the circle.

Augment

You can transport five additional willing creatures for each additional mana expended. The creatures must link hands with you in a circle.

As two actions, your mind splits into two independent parts. You have advantage on Will saving throws and your second mind has an action which it can use to take a purely mental action (such as identifying a plant, herb, concoction, or spell or casting a spell) in the same round you take your normal actions. It has a mana limit of 1 and the mana is removed from your mana.

Augment

• You can expend 1 additional mana to so the second mind’s mana limit increases to 2.

• You can expend 2 additional mana to so the second mind can use two actions.

As two actions, your mindcrystal within 5 meters of you takes over the responsibility of maintaining concentration for a spell you have cast that costs 1 or less mana and are concentrating on. While maintaining this concentration, your mindcrystal is incapacitated. If this spell’s duration expires, the spell you transferred to your mindcrystal ends.

Augment

The spell that you are concentrating on can cost 1 additional mana for each additional mana expended.

As you spend 1 hour to cast this spell, you attempt impress the totality of your psyche into the subconscious of a creature that you can touch. The creature must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it is incapacitated.

At the end of each of its turns while incapacitated in this way, the creature must make a Will saving throw. If the creature succeeds on three of these saves, it is no longer incapacitated, and the spell ends. If the creature fails three of these saves, the creature is no longer incapacitated, but you impress the totality of your psyche into a creature’s subconscious.

If successfully implanted, the seed of your mind “germinates” over 7 days. During this time, the creature begins to unconsciously take on your mannerisms. When integration is complete, the creature becomes you in mind as you were when you cast the spell, but the creature’s level is eight lower than your own.

The creature does not have any of your physical abilities or equipment, but does have the Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma you had when you were eight levels lower. The creature also knows the spells you knew when you were eight levels lower.

While the creature is initially your mental duplicate, the two personalities diverge over time. Although the creature starts off with memories of your experiences, it possesses its original “soul” and physical body and is free to develop its own personality based on its own new experiences. Thus, the creature is not your slave or servant, but instead a nonplayer character in its own right that shares your earlier memories.

A germinating seed can be removed (prior to germination) only by miracle or wish. Casting mind seed again during the germination period also cleanses the creature’s mind.

The process of impressing your psyche into another is demanding and draining. You become exhausted 1 when you cast this spell.